Personal Care Homes vs Nursing Homes: Which To Choose

A woman in blue nursing scrubs standing over another woman in a wheelchair. In the background are two men playing chess.

There may come a time when you must consider assisted living homes for an older family member, whether a parent, sibling, or grandparent. It’s essential to ensure your family members get the best care possible and care that will specifically help them and their needs. However, several options are available to you, two of the most common being personal care homes and nursing homes.

Consider the difference between personal care and nursing homes to determine which to choose and how they can benefit your loved one. Take time to carefully select the best option for your family members, and ensure they have everything they need for a comfortable living situation.

What Is Assisted Living?

Daily routines can become increasingly more difficult as people age, whether cooking, driving, maintaining personal hygiene, and more. Needing a little more help as we get older is completely natural. These facilities specialize in providing aid to older individuals.

The specific type of care will depend largely on the facility itself; some assisted living facilities provide full medical care with a full-time staff of nurses and other medical professionals, while others do not. Not all assisted care facilities offer the same benefits, which makes it critical to investigate what your loved one needs to maximize their quality of life.

Two women conversing in a group of older adults. The women talk animatedly as the others listen intently.

What Is a Personal Care Home?

A personal care home is a type of assisted living facility offering a range of services to make everyday life easier for their residents. While an assisted living facility, personal care homes are typically for individuals who don’t require constant medical intervention or medical assistance; they provide a more independent community for their residents while aiding in a few specific areas.

Meal Preparation

Cooking is one of the most significant benefits of a personal care home. Many facilities employ chefs to cook meals for their residents, eliminating the hassle of your loved ones needing to cook on their own.

Many accidents can happen while preparing food, whether spills, handling knives, or working with open flames, personal care homes circumvent that risk.

Maintenance Assistance

No matter where you live, maintenance will be necessary for the upkeep of one’s home. This upkeep can mean something minor, such as changing a lightbulb, or a more involved project, such as repairing plumbing or repairing damage to walls.

Because of the constant and necessary need for maintenance, personal care homes provide maintenance workers to complete the repairs themselves.

Activities and Routine

Besides the necessities, personal care facilities also offer a variety of activities for their residents to enjoy. Sometimes, those activities involve hobbies such as golfing, knitting, or cooking, while other opportunities include taking residents to nearby towns to shop and walk around.

These activities can provide a routine for your loved one, giving them something to do and keeping them both mentally and physically engaged.

What Is a Nursing Home?

On the surface, a nursing home provides most of the same services as a personal care facility, such as meal preparation, maintenance specialists, and activities. But the most significant difference is that nursing homes are for individuals who need a greater amount of daily medical care.

Professional Medical Staff

Nursing homes employ nurses and other medical staff to facilitate these increased medical needs, ensuring that they take care of all their residents’ medical needs, whether short-term or long-term.

Specialized Medical Equipment

Because nursing homes assist residents with their medical needs, they also utilize more specific medical equipment, having those tools on hand for when they need it. Equipment such as stethoscopes, blood pressure readers, catheters, and computerized technology to facilitate greater care.

24-Hour Support

As mentioned, residents of nursing homes require frequent medical care, which is why it’s important to have a staff that can assist 24-hours a day. Nursing homes provide that extra layer of support for their residents so they are safe, taken care of, and have everything they need as soon as possible.

The Best Care for Your Loved One

When deciding which to choose, a personal care home or a nursing home, you must consider the specific needs of your family member. A personal care home may be their best option if they don’t need as much daily medical care, and they can still perform many of their daily activities unassisted. The greater independence combined with the readily available assistance with cooking and other chores will allow them to have a fulfilling time.

But if your loved one is dependent on constant medical care, then they may need the support only a nursing home can provide. Take their medical needs into consideration and have a very clear idea of what they are and are not capable of doing in their daily life.

A woman in blue nurse scrubs giving a tray of food to an older man. The man is sitting next to another woman.

How To Talk to Your Loved One About Care Facilities

One consideration many must deal with is how to broach the topic with their loved ones about the idea of assisted living. Many older family members may be open from the start about going to an assisted living home, while others may not like the thought of giving up some of their independence.

A rejection of the idea is completely natural, as any lifestyle change can be intimidating, but be ready for this conversation, and there are some ways to prepare for it.

Be Empathetic and Understanding

The most important thing you can do during these conversations is to understand your loved one’s concerns.

Listen to what they have to say and engage in open discussion with their concerns. Avoid shutting them down when they voice any hesitations, take the conversation slow, and don’t feel discouraged if their first answer is a refusal.

Let Them Choose

It may take some time, but allow them to come to their own conclusion rather than forcing a decision upon them. Let them consider the benefits of moving to an assisted care home after opening the conversation.

A common concern for people when going to a care facility is the loss of their independence, and they can interpret your decision-making as a loss of their independence, regardless of your good intentions.

Set Your Loved One Up for Success

Your end goal is to take care of your loved one and make sure they have everything they need to be happy and comfortable, whether looking into care homes or having discussions. Look into different care homes and know what your family member needs for their care, and don’t make any decisions without discussing with them and their personal doctor first.

Azalea Senior Care provides assisted living in Lawrenceville, Georgia that delivers the care your loved ones need. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information and ensure your family members are well taken care of.